[Constitutive synthesis of cellulase by Trichoderma lignorum]

Abstract

The induction of cellulase synthesis by lactose was studied in the resting cells of Trichoderma lignorum OM 534. The effect depended on the concentration of lactose, pH, and the age of the mycelium. The induction of the enzyme synthesis by lactose is supressed by glucose and its metabolites. The repression by glucose is partly eliminated by Cyk 3'-5'-AMP, theophylline, and coffeine. The induction of cellulase by lactose is regarded as a derepression of the synthesis of this enzyme as a result of slow assimilation of the disaccharide. The synthesis of cellulase in T. lignorum is presumed to be constitutive.